Swedish TV reporters from SVT have contacted the captain of a Chinese vessel, Yi Peng 3, suspected of involvement in recent cable damage in the Baltic Sea.
“Stay away from my ship,” the man, believed to be the captain, told reporters through the ship’s radio.
The Yi Peng 3 was near two undersea cable breaks when the incidents occurred. The ship has since been anchored in the Kattegat for over a week, monitored by German, Danish, and Swedish authorities.
The journalists’ efforts resulted in just one more sentence from the captain to the SVT journalists:
“I will not answer your questions.”
Sources told The Wall Street Journal that the ship’s anchor may have dragged 160 kilometers along the seabed, potentially causing the damage. Investigators are exploring whether the suspected sabotage was linked to Russia. The ship’s owner, Ningbo Yinpeng Shipping, is reportedly cooperating with the probe.
Swedish police have completed forensic examinations at the damage sites and are investigating the incidents as potential sabotage in collaboration with Finland and Lithuania.
“It cannot be ruled out that the cables were deliberately damaged,” said Per Engström of the Swedish police.
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